Pain relief for children

[Greypinkskies]

Posting for traffic - but please move if not appropriate.

My nearly 11 year old has earache and is in so much pain she has been in tears all morning and I just don't know what to do.

What can I do to try and help relieve her pain? It seems so cruel to expect a child to tolerate levels of pain like this.

It's not proper pain relief as such but a hot Ribena or orange squash can help with earache.

And like pp said a not too hot hot water bottle on her ear will help.

I'd give her a codeine, or half of one, but I'm not a medic. And try everything else you can, like ear drops and the pharmacy/111 for advice.

It sounds really miserable for her. Hope she's on the mend soon.

Poor girl, ear infections are horrible. I had one a few years ago and the pain was awful. Painkillers didn’t touch it, the only thing I found that did help was a wheat pillow heated up and held against my ear. Once my ear drum burst and it let all the gunk out it started to feel better.

My GP had given me antibiotics over the phone they didn’t see me as in Covid times. I ended up at the emergency out of hours at the local hospital as I couldn’t keep them down and my GP wouldn’t give me anti sickness just told me to go there, who funnily enough gave me anti sickness tablets. But they also referred me to the emergency ENT clinic who I saw a week later and they suctioned all the muck and infection out and gave me antibiotic ear drops. I haven’t had any more infections since, after having quite a few.

I really sympathise with your poor daughter.

Honestly the antibiotics (even if needed) aren’t going to kill the pain rapidly.

I am medical and have given appropriate doses of morphine to a child in the past for the pain of a bulging ear drum with this sort of infection when calpol and ibuprofen have done nothing for them.

I appreciate you can have no idea if I’m genuine or not but I would definitely at least give the solpadeine to a good sized 11 year old.

The issue of antibiotics or not will depend on a pharmacist or doctor; even if they do prescribe them, they'll take a couple of days to work and you'll need painkillers in the meantime.

Sometimes a doctor will recommend a double dose of paracetamol as a short-term measure, but obviously don't do that without medical advice - the actual safe dosage depends on weight etc, and is generally higher than what's printed on the packet; a doctor can calculate it for you.

Go to your nearest pharmacy and ask them. - the pharmacist will be be able to offer you something or tell you to see a doctor.

Says who? You? Been used for hundreds of years very successfully and the warmth and anti inflammatory properties help. Go and drug yourself into oblivion but some of us like to try natural remedies before drugs.

That's a good idea I didn't think of, I think because she's been crying it's flushed her sinuses out a bit, there's very infected stuff that looks like it's been there a while, I'm hoping that will help

Thank you all for your suggestions

If you can get her seen today, ask for phenazone ear drops - these contain a local anaesthetic and are in national guidelines for viral ear infections. Not prescribed regularly by many but I often prescribe them

https://healthmedia.blog.gov.uk/2024/02/01/pharmacy-first-what-you-need-to-know/

Pharmacies can assess.

It is only if it meets very specific criteria that they can prescribe antibiotics - but there are other things they can suggest to help with pain

I think because you have already had contact with the GP about this it might be viewed as 'complex'

I'm glad that fixed it for you, I had my last ear infection when I was pregnant with her and it was honestly worse than the birth

Then why doesn't NHS 111 recommend it for children crying in pain? Show me the randomised controlled trials.

It is massively offensive that you see seeking an effective, safe, evidence-based solution using pharmacology as a mother drugging her child into oblivion.

A fucking onion.. Give me strength.

Thank you, some info here I didn't know that I'm hopeful can help 🤞

They are just awful. My ear drum never repaired after that last infection and I’ve got permanent hearing loss in that ear and wear a hearing aid now.

Poor poor child.
I would tbh. A couple of months won’t make a difference, especially if she is a more developed pre-teen.
hope she gets better

No darling, I'm suggesting YOU drug yourself into oblivion. The poor op is looking for anything to help her dc, she sounds open minded to suggestions. You, however, are small minded with a disgusting potty mouth.

its horrible pain, I remember waking up in the middle of the night aged 18 and crying. I got into the GPs and they checked my ears and gave me antibiotic ear drops. I would try Otex ear drops, they will relieve the inflammation and get rid of the wax. Also standing in the shower with hot water and steam will help relieve symptoms.

Saline nasal rinse, sudafed and steam. I warm steamy bath might help too

Why has she liked my last post then?

Patronising, sarcastic, ignorant and deluded quackery. Take your onion...

Oh, do bore off.

I have sinus issues and use this. Just make sure use boiled water and leave to cool until it's lukewarm. Brilliant fir flushing gunk, clearing eustachian tube so gunk can come out of the ear. But like using a medicine syringe when they are wee to clear snot

www.boots.com/neilmed-sinus-rinse-120-sachets-10077018?gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAqfe8BhBwEiwAsne6gdaJPBE08LDyWsBnnl5V3Ru4Z6tAf26Z8XiuX8AXaE-jh2aVtvI1vBoCcekQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Really the best options are as advised above alternating ibuprofen and paracetamol, you can take full daily dose of each so a dose of paracetamol then 2 hours later of ibuprofen then 2 hrs later more paracetamol up to the max which is usually 4 doses of each in a 24 hr period but check the instructions.

Then a warm compress can be helpful a microwave wheat bag or hot water bottle with a decent thick cover around it so it's not too hot against the side of her face.

These are the 'dose by weight' charts for Paracetamol and Ibuprofen, OP - hope they're helpful.

A review of anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory effects of Allium cepa and its main constituents - PMC https://search.app/Jy8tb8zpUe9WtjnS6

Extensive studies have been conducted regarding the effects of onion on inflammation and other conditions.

My sil lives in Germany and the pharmacist advised her to use the onion in warmed olive oil when her children were young. They don't hand out antibiotics like smarties over there.

Garlic has similar effects and zoos feed garlic to their primates in order to prevent flu which can be dangerous in these animals.

If she's 11 she can't have co cocodamol. Codeine is banned in under 12's.

Because of PP's suggestions of onion, I just googled "onion for ear infection"
There is plenty of info regarding this, so in your shoes, I'd be looking at some of these sites, and make your own opinion?

Natural remedies were what we had before pharmaceuticals replaced them.

As there is SO much information, I'd at least look it up.

Hope she feels relief soon, then you can relax a bit too... good luck